Shopping In Little India

Little India, similar to Chinatown, is a place where most Indian immigrants settled down in the past. Little India is made up of a few roads, lanes and streets that consist of many shop houses. Large crowds of Indians can be seen at or around Little India during weekends. As most construction workers in Singapore come from India, Little India naturally becomes their meeting spot during weekends and the festive season. They gather in small or big groups and chill out on the empty fields located along the roads. During weekends, try not to drive into Little India as frequent traffic jams occur due to the large crowd of people. Upon reaching Little India or nearing Little India, you will be greeted by a strong, heady scent of spices and jasmine garlands. There are a number of shops and places of interests to visit when in Little India, they are listed below :

Tekka Mall

A newly opened small shopping mall that has a food court selling cheap and great food, the Japanese food is a must try as it is value for money and tasty! Sheng Siong Hypermart is located at level 2, they sell products that has prices cheaper then other major super markets in Singapore.  There are also some stores selling clothing.

Dunlop Street

This is a street that is filled with provision shops selling Indian spices, ingredients, special perfume, essential oil, Indian music, clothing and textiles.

Cuff Road

There is a shop selling spices here which is the distributor for most of the Singapore shops that are selling spices. Several Indian restaurants can also be found on this street. The most famous ones are the Oil Cafe which is a pure vegetarian restaurant that serves great Indian vegetarian dishes and also plays nice Indian music, and Khana Khazana that sells super tasty marinated cottage cheese with spices!

Little India Arcade

Little India Arcade consists of a small food court and cluster of shop houses where you can find wooden trinkets, ethnic-inspired bags, sarees, jewellery and sweets shops. There is also a shop selling bangles that are made of materials like metal, glass, clay and plastic and they also come in many different colours, each only going for between $3-$6. When you come across the Indian sweets shop, remember to try their ulam jamun (cream cheese balls in syrup).

Buffalo Road

Next is the Buffalo Road. In here, you can find many more shops selling spices and other household products. There are also stores that sell Indian cosmetics, dyes and perfumes. Tekka Centre can also be located in Buffalo Road, it is a wet market selling fresh meats, fish and vegetables. There are also hawker center in Tekka Centre that serve great and cheap food. There is a popular salon that ladies will be interested in, Vanessa Beauty Salon and Henna Artwork Creation. Get yourself a make over after a long week of stress at work! Excellent and creative hairstyles are guaranteed! There are also some Indian restaurants that you can visit at Buffalo Road.

Mustafa Centre

Those desperately in need of retail therapy can find their fix in this modestly dressed shopping centre in Little India. If you are one who is constant hunting for the best bargain buys and adores shopping till wee hours of the morning, then you will absolutely love this huge 70,000 sq ft Mustafa Centre that is open 24 hours everyday. This six storey shopping space offers everything one could possibly need, from electronics and souvenirs, to clothes and fragrances. There is also a large supermarket on the second level that carries a range of food products that could rival Cold Storage, but at much cheaper prices!

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is the first ever temple constructed in Singapore to venerate Goddess Kali, the consort of Lord Shiva. The goddess is often portrayed as having many pairs of arms and hands; each hand carrying weapons of destruction used to fight evil on earth. Inside, the ceiling is rimmed with statues of the many Hindu Gods while the main shrine housed a jet black statue of Goddess Kali, flanked by her sons Ganesha and Murugam.